Has anyone had any problems with their Gallardo's clutch?

You there James?

Bow to the almighty and powerful Oz.... yes i have a certain awareness for the Gallardo and its clutch

Coincidentally i was speaking to lambo about that very issue yesterday morning.

What's the problem?

Drronh,

I assume you are talking about the manual clutch, and not the e-gear clutch?

James,

What was the final outcome of your dramas with your manual clutch - I was away for a while and may have missed some postings. Did they install a replacement "same" clutch, an e-gear clutch, or the "revised" manual clutch that my dealer mentioned to me recently. Did you have to pay anything or was it all covered under warranty?

Don't want to worry you more, but the local manual car here that I referred to before that has had three new clutches in 1600km, has now had to have the gearbox replaced because the clutch problems ultimately resulted in damage to the gearbox. There's about 28 Gallardo's in Australia I think (last count) with I guess a 50/50 mix of e-gear and manual. As far as I know it is only the one manual car that has had these problems. Mhh, have you heard anything from down south in the country?

Bunkhound, no reports on manuals here in Adelaide. The only 2 cars on the road are e-gears. Don't know the score in Melbourne or Perth.

I'm not sure about the 50/50 mix. My dealer said most Australian demand is for e-gear (he might be guessing himself of course).

My problem is that after 1150 miles from new- no clutch left whatsoever (6 speed). I bought the car with 1069 miles on it. The previous owner denies launching it or even revving it over 3500 rpm ever.

Ron,

The previous owner may be telling the truth (but the 3500 RPM max sounds doubtful - unless it was owned by a nunn!)

There have been some faulty clutches with the manual cars (but for some reason not with the e-gear clutches, which apparently are a little different, but don't know what the differences actually are).

This should definitely be covered under warranty, but I suggest you speak to James about it , as he has been down the same path as you. I believe there is a clutch upgrade to fix the problem.

What country and area are you from?

Ron,

I've been down this road already so your not alone. Not sure thats any consolation.

Basically my clutch was replaced at 1285 miles on its first service after me reporting difficulty engaging second gear and reverse. So started a battle of phone calls between my dealer, service centre and Lamborghini, as i felt the replacement should have been carried out under warranty.

After 16 weeks Lamborghini have agreed to pay the parts element of the work but not the labour. The state that there was no fault with the clutch and that this refund is being done as a gesture of good will to their customer and not an admission of blame for faulty components.

Its not all bad news though, as Ive subsequently spoken to other people who have managed to get the whole replacement paid for under warranty. The key to this seems to be the route in which you sourced your vehicle. If you bought it from an authorised lambo dealer, who imported it through the normal route into your country then you should be fine and be able to make a case. Any deviation from this route and you could find yourself with a fight on your hands. From what you've said so far, id guess they will try and wriggle out of the issue by blaming "pilot error" either yours or the previous owner, no matter what he/she has said. This is the wall i came up against and my car only had delivery mileage on the clock! (92 miles)

Heres a link to my long long story

Part 1 - http://www.lamborghini-talk.com/foru...tml?1093133523
Part 2 - http://www.lamborghini-talk.com/foru.../28/16204.html

Bunkhound-
I am in Florida, USA

James-
Interesting story. My car did not always shift easily into 2nd gear either. I did not drive it hard. I only had it for a week before this happened and only drove it on 3 of those days. I have driven manual cars for 25 years now and have never needed a new clutch before. My viper puts down a lot more torque than the lambo and its clutch has held up well. I just traded in a 4 wheel drive Porsche 996 C4S which was driven hard and on a racetrack and its clutch is fine. I have Porsche turbos, 2 and 4 wheel drive, with no clutch problems.
It really is a big disappointment, because I am new to lamborghini and thought that because of the Audi ownership (I also have an Audi) I wouldn't have problems. Even my viper has needed nothing more than oil changes. The car is still at my house and I plan on sending it to the dealer soon, so we'll see what they say.

Seems we have similar tastes. I had a 996 C4s too. Never had a problem with the car. But thats Porsche's for you. I've got the new 997 Turbo on order, hoping to take delivery late 05 early 06. Your right about clutches and torque. Ive commented along the same lines. My E55 has way more torque than the the Gallardo and no problems (i know its a semi auto but still a clutch at work in there somewhere). I've also never had a clutch replacement on any car Ive owned. Seems there is more here than meets the eye, but i cant get anyone wearing a bull on their letter heads to tell me otherwise.

Good luck and let me know if you get any new info.